Which is cuddlier?

Brought up by a comment from here .

What about approaching pretty girls seems tantamount to facing polar bears ?

Pretty girls (so to speak) can rip me to shreds figuratively, polar bears literally.

Pretty girls size me up as a prospective dinner companion; polar bears as a prospective dinner. I pick up the check in either case.

After encountering a pretty girl or a polar bear, afterward I'm usually licking my wounds.

Both can turn up unexpectedly, when I'm not mentally or physically prepared. Vigilance helps avoid embarrassment or worse.

After a pretty-girl encounter, usually my confidence is shaken and I'm awash in self-doubt. After encountering polar bears, my confidence is boosted and I feel capable and strong -- assuming I've survived.

I've only seen three unclothed polar bears in the wild, about the same number as the total number of unclothed pretty girls I've seen up close ;-). Submerged doesn't count in either case.

I have more confidence in my ability to handle adeptly the former than the latter.

During a encounter, I'm generally trying to discourage the bear and scare it away. But an attractive woman is generally trying to discourage me and send me elsewhere, instead...

(smile)

Happy Birthday, hopeforyou!

Friday five...

1. As a child, who was your favorite superhero/heroine? Why?

Speed Racer... lots of gadgets, clueless opponents, and gratuitous wrecks. "go, speed racer, go!..."

2. What was one thing you always wanted as a child but never got?

A telescope. We weren't terribly well off, my parents had to struggle at times just to buy groceries. Cornmeal mush for breakfast...

3. What's the furthest from home you've been?

Hmmm... without running a great-circle program, probably Canberra, or the North Island of New Zealand... although if i fix "home" as California, probably St. Petersburg, Russia.

4. What's one thing you've always wanted to learn but haven't yet?

Scuba, followed by my instrument rating...

5. What are your plans for the weekend?

Nothing much, socially. Take kids to skating lessons Saturday morning, church Sunday morning. Maybe make shrimp etouffee for patgreene Saturday night and then take her out somewhere.

Another step

Last year, my church elected K as an openly lesbian member of its Vestry (i.e., governing board) at its 2002 annual meeting. Tonight was the 2003 annual meeting... and K was made Senior Warden (i.e. chair). I'm heartened :-).

It is also noteworthy that while most other Episcopal congregations in this diocese are stable or slowly declining, my church has grown four-fold in the nine years that I've been there. The two events are not entirely uncorrelated, in my opinion... (smile).